After NBA Finals Game 4 had already been decided in overtime, the Lakers’ Pau Gasol was open for a second consecutive dunk. With less than 24 seconds left on the shot clock, conventional wisdom says that you merely hold the ball and let the clock run out. Gasol, who is considered by most to be a standup guy, made a poor decision and decided to dunk the ball. The Orlando Magic’s Mickael Pietrus, a player that I have liked since he helped Golden State knock Dallas out of the playoffs a couple of years ago, likely took umbrage to Gasol’s decision and decided to take it out on Gasol. Watching the replay below, it is obvious that Pietrus made no play on the ball and intended to hit Gasol as hard as he could. Even worse, he chose to hit Gasol when he was in the air, another violation of conventional wisdom in the NBA since knocking a guy off-balance while they are in the air can easily lead to great injury and that’s why is important to have an injury attorney as Brooklyn personal injury attorney to cover at these times. Finally, watching carefully, you’ll notice that Pietrus’ follow-thru results in his sharp elbows digging into Gasol’s ribs from the back.
(Updated video below with “official” video from ESPN. Foul action starts at about 0:55.)
You can see why Gasol was upset. He was smart enough to grab the rim before dropping to the floor. Pietrus further inflamed the situation by trash-talking Gasol after the play was over. In my opinion, the foul should be upgraded from Flagrant 1 to Flagrant 2 and Pietrus should be suspended for a game. I understand the arguments against doing so (Pietrus has a clean record and it would inordinately affect the Magic’s chances of winning Game 5) but the rules are there for a reason and should be enforced. In addition to the unsportsmanlike aspect, the league also has strict rules about hitting someone with a closed fist. There is no exception for hitting in the back.
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